McLaughlin grabs Eseries points lead
08 Apr 2020
Scott McLaughlin holds the BP Supercars All Stars Eseries championship lead after an entertaining opening round.
WATCH: CHAOTIC ESERIES OPENING LAP AT MONZA
McLaughlin won the first and third races of the night in a commanding display, not to mention making up 21 places in the middle reverse-grid outing won by Jack Le Brocq.
The Shell V-Power Racing driver, who also leads the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship, delivered a clinical display in the incident-filled Monza finale.
Carnage ensued from the startline, with Mark Winterbottom being speared into the fence before cars had even reached the first chicane.
When they did get there, Chaz Mostert, Bryce Fullwood and Fabian Coulthard were all spun and things would only get more chaotic.
Roughly half the field were caught up in a Turn 3 tangle that saw Fullwood airborne and Shane van Gisbergen end up on his roof.
McLaughlin appeared to be in the box seat when the Safety Car was deployed on lap 3, leading from Jake Kostecki and Anton De Pasquale.
However, even earlier stops for a gaggle headed by Cameron Waters and Winterbottom saw them roar to the front when their rivals dived in for their compulsory pitstop.
It meant McLaughlin had to carve his way through the field, picking off drivers one-by-one after being positioned 10th on the restart.
He made the decisive move on Cameron Waters down the pit straight at the start of lap 15 but it soon became clear he was short on fuel.
Guided by real-life engineer Richard Harris, the #17 Mustang however would be saved by the time certain finish, which meant the race finished a lap early – when McLaughlin had just 1L of fuel remaining.
He crossed the line 1.483 seconds clear of Waters, who is second in the championship.
Mostert took third in the race, with Will Davison and Jack Le Brocq rounding out the top five.
In the middle race at Phillip Island, Le Brocq emerged triumphant after De Pasquale was handed a 30-second penalty for half-spinning the #55 Mustang in a final corner move for the race lead.
That relegated a shocked De Pasquale to 13th, with Le Brocq rewarded for an impressive drive off the front-row after a nightmare Race 1.
Mostert finished what turned out to be second ahead of Walkinshaw Andretti United teammate Fullwood.
De Pasquale was frank in his assessment of the penalty issued to him: “I think it’s a bit harsh… I can’t disappear on the apex.
“I tried to put on a good show for everybody and ended up in the stewards’ room.”
A rundown of Race 1 at Phillip Island, won by McLaughlin, can be read here.
PIRTEK Memorable Moments
Race 3, Monza (19 laps)
Lap 1: Winterbottom finds the fence almost immediately off the startline, rebounding across the track and tagging Todd Hazelwood
Lap 1: Roughly half the field involved in a wild Turn 3 incident that sees Fullwood airborne and van Gisbergen land on his roof
Lap 3: Safety Car called, with frontrunners pitting at the end of the lap
Lap 5: Mostert spun out of second place, drops to 12th
Lap 7: De Pasquale in a huge shunt down the back straight; Pither handed a drive-through penalty
Lap 12: McLaughlin passes Will Davison for third
Lap 14: McLaughlin moves by Winterbottom into second and Mostert sneaks by Davison
Lap 15: McLaughlin grabs race lead from Waters down pit straight
Race 2, Phillip Island (16 laps)
Lap 1: Le Brocq passes Rick Kelly off the line as Winterbottom behind jumps the start
Lap 1: Macauley Jones fires into the grass off Turn 1 after a collision
Lap 1: Lee Holdsworth spears into the side of Kelly
Lap 1: Le Brocq leads from a surprised David Reynolds, while McLaughlin has already made up 14 places
Lap 2: Tickford teammates Will Davison and Lee Holdsworth make contact, with innocent party van Gisbergen sent into a spin and collected by Garry Jacobson; van Gisbergen was soon after spun by Jack Smith
Lap 6-7: Tight battle between De Pasquale and Mostert
Lap 8: Chris Pither gets up on two wheels at Honda and loses control
Lap 16: De Pasquale enters the final lap all over leader Le Brocq, and likewise with McLaughlin attacking fourth-placed Fullwood
Lap 16: De Pasquale taps Le Brocq into a half-spin at the final corner and takes the chequered flag first being copping a 30-second penalty
